Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bid against myself?

If you are only bidding on one bidding platform (website), then you will not be bidding against yourself. The only way you could bid against yourself is if you placed a bid on the same item(s) in the same auction on multiple bidding platforms (Clars, Live Auctioneers, and Invaluable). For this reason, we strongly suggest only bidding on one platform per sale!

Can I place an absentee bid online?

Yes! Once you have registered for the auction, you can place bids on lots you’re interested in by clicking the green “Place Bid” button. (You can do this either in the full catalog view or the individual item view.)

A drop-down menu will then appear, from which you can either select the next increment, or any higher increment of your choosing.

To finalize the bid, click the green check mark next to the increment, or click the “x” to cancel.

Please note that for our live auctions, you will not be notified if your absentee bid has been outbid.

How do I place a bid for the timed auction on my computer?

Once you have registered for the auction, you can place bids on lots you’re interested in by clicking the green “Place Bid” button. (You can do this either in the full catalog view or the individual item view.)

A drop-down menu will then appear, from which you can either select the next increment, or any higher increment of your choosing.

To finalize the bid, click the green check mark next to the increment, or click the “x” to cancel.

How do I place a bid for the timed auction on my phone or tablet?

Once you’ve registered for the auction, tap on the lot you’re interested in, and then on the “Place Bid” button.

Once you tap the “Place Bid” button, your screen will show you a list of increments you can choose from, starting with the lowest possible increment.

Tap the increment of your maximum bid, and then tap “submit.” If you have the highest bid, your screen will let you know.

If not, your screen will indicate that you’ve been outbid:

How do I retract a bid?

Unfortunately, you are unable to retract a bid. If you need to retract an absentee bid, please give us a call at 510-428-0100 at least 24 hours before the lot is projected to end, and we will retract it for you.

How do I know if I’ve been outbid during the timed sale?

If you are outbid in the timed auction, you will receive an email letting you know that this has happened.

As the timed auction is closing, you may be outbid just before your item closes. To prevent “sniper” bids, Clars online bidding has been designed so that if a bid comes in within the last five minutes of your item closing, the time allowed to bid on the lot will extend by five additional minutes. If you’re watching in lot view, you will also be notified, but please be advised that this has a slight delay. We highly recommend keeping your email open if you are worried you may be outbid in the last second.

How do the timed sales work?

Timed sales allow you to place bids on items while the catalog is live, which is typically for approximately one week. On the day that the timed sale ends, the bidding will officially close. Each item will end one minute apart in order of lot number, from lowest to highest. If someone bids on a lot within five minutes of the closing, the time left for that lot will extend by an additional five minutes for each successive bid. We do this to prevent “sniper” bids and to give everyone a chance to make last minute bids on their items.

When you are outbid on an item, our system will automatically email you to inform you so that you have a chance to raise your bid. Please make sure to check your inbox and spam folders to make sure you don’t miss an outbid notification!

How do I place a live bid?

Live bidding is a two-click process to minimize the likelihood of accidental bids. If you are bidding on your computer, after you enter the live sale, you will have to click the “place bid” button with the increment already set:

Once you click the bid button, you will then have to click “confirm”:

Once you click “confirm,” your bid will go through.

Please note, if you are the winning bidder, it will show that you are winning, if you are not, then you will need to bid higher. Again please note, if you are the highest bidder and you try to bid again, it will not let you. The system does not let you bid against yourself.

If you are bidding on a mobile device, then there will be a sliding orange button. You slide the button to the left to input your bid.

How do I place a live bid on my phone or tablet?

Tap the catalog of the sale day to view the lots as they come up in real time. When a lot you want to bid on opens for bidding, place your finger on the arrow and slide your finger from left to right across the “bid” button to bid the amount shown.

Note that the clerk will warn you when the lot is about to close by hitting the “far warning” button, shown in the image here. This may also cause your device to vibrate, depending on your settings. This is your warning to bid quickly, or the auctioneer may sell the item to another bidder.

Can I retract a bid for the live sale?

You cannot retract a live bid. If you placed an absentee bid online prior to the sale, you can edit or delete it from the lot’s page. Next to the bid amount, there is an option that will allow you to edit or delete your bid. If you have any difficulty editing or deleting your online absentee bid, please call us right away at 510-428-0100 or email us at online@clars.com at your earliest convenience.

Why is my registration pending?

Since we manually approve every bidder on each sale, sometimes there is a delay in approval while we review each new bidder. We suggest registering as early as possible, and sale registration is available as soon as the auction catalog is live, at least one full week prior to the sale date. If you are not approved after one business day, please give us a call at 510-428-0100, or send us an email at online@clars.com.

How do I know if I am approved to bid?

Once you have been approved to bid, you will receive an email from us letting you know you all set to participate freely in the auction! Whether your registration has been approved, is still pending, or it has been rejected, the main auction page will tell you the status of your registration.

During the timed sale I was outbid immediately. Why did this happen?

If you have been outbid immediately, chances are that someone has placed an absentee bid on that lot, and so the system will respond to your bid(s) by placing bids for the other bidder until their maximum bid is reached.until their maximum has been reached.

How do I know if I won an item through Clars Online Bidding?

The easiest way to check if you won an item is to go to the “My Won Items” page to view all the items you have won through bidding via our website. Additionally, you can navigate directly to the lot page, which will indicate underneath the description whether you won or lost. Another way is to wait until the auction is over, and you will be emailed your invoice. If you do not receive an invoice, then you were not successful.

How do I know that I am the winning bidder during the live sale?

If your bid is the highest during the live sale, you will see text under the “Place Bid” button saying that you are the highest bidder. For example:

Please note that you will also not be allowed to bid higher if you are the highest bidder, because you cannot bid against yourself on our site. If you do not see text that tells you that you are the highest bidder, then you will need to place a higher bid.

The item sold for the same amount that I bid for it, but I am not the winner. Why didn’t I win?

There are a few reasons why this could have happened. The most common reason is that more than one bid came in for the same amount, resulting in a tie. Bids are accepted at the auctioneer’s discretion, and the first bid received is generally the one accepted by the auctioneer. Therefore, even if you have made an absentee bid online or in-house, this does not guarantee that you will win the item. If you have questions regarding whether you have won an item, please call us at 510-428-0100.

Why do I have to register for every sale separately?

How long do I have to pay and pick up?

For all online auctions, you have three business days after the auction to pay for any items you purchased. After 10 business days, if the items have not been picked up, we begin to charge storage fees at a rate of $10 per lot per day. You have 25 business days to pick up your items before they are declared abandoned and may be re-offered to recoup storage fees. Hours for payment and pickup are Monday – Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm PST.

Do you provide shipping and packaging services?

We do not have in-house shipping or packing facilities. Packing and shipping is at buyer’s cost, and you must coordinate this with a third party. In the link below is a list of shippers that many of our customers frequently use, or you can use any shipper of your choice. We suggest contacting shippers for a quote prior to bidding. They will need the lot number, short description, approximate selling price and your shipping address.

What type of payments do you accept?

We accept a variety of payments, including cash, cashier’s check, wire transfer, personal check (items may be held until the check clears), and PayPal. For payments made within the US, we also accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover. If you purchased a vehicle, payment must be remitted via cashier’s check or wire transfer. Please note that we do require an additional $15 fee for all wire transfer payments.

Can I view the item in person before the auction?

The Friday before our weekend auctions, we are open to the public from 1:00pm – 6:00pm. You are welcome to view the items in person during this time, and our specialists are available to answer your questions. If you are unable to come on Friday afternoon, you may call us at 510-428-0100 to schedule an appointment.

What is Buyer’s Premium?

Buyer’s premium is the percentage on top of the hammer price that we charge for selling the items.

How much is Buyer’s Premium?

Buyer’s premium of 23% on the bid price of any lot that sells for up to $150,000, plus 15% on any amount between $160,000 and $ 1,000,000, and 10% on any amount over $1,000,000 (for those who bid through the internet, there is a 1% surcharge for our bidding platform, or 5% for all other bidding platforms), plus sales tax unless the purchaser is exempt by law from such taxes.

What if I am unable to pick up in person, can I have someone pick up on my behalf?

Yes, you can have a friend or a certified shipper pick up for you. We do ask that you let us know who will be picking up for you for security purposes. You can do so by calling us at 510-428-0100, or emailing us at online@clars.com. Please note that all shippers must provide the necessary documentation for shipping at the time of pickup, and that all items picked up within California are subject to California state sales tax (unless picked up by a certified shipper who provides a Bill of Lading).

What is a condition report?

A condition report is a report made by our specialists detailing the condition an item is in. Since all of our items are on consignment, there are times when items have been loved too much and they show signs of wear and aging. Condition reports are not automatically included in the description, and the absence of a condition report does not mean that the item is in perfect condition. We always recommend requesting a condition report on items you are interested in since all of our items are sold as-is. You can also request additional photos to be sent to you. Please send all photo and condition report requests to online@clars.com at least 24 hours before the item is scheduled to be sold. Include the lot number, the description, and your request.

How do I create an account with Clars on my computer?

On our website, click on the drop-down menu titled “Auctions” and click on “Upcoming Auctions.”

Next, click on either the date of the upcoming auction you’re interested in, or click on our online bidding logo at the bottom left of the screen.

From here, go to the top right and click “Login.”

When you click on the “Login” button, our site will prompt you to either sign in or to become a member.

Congratulations! You now have an online account with Clars Auction Gallery!

How do I register to bid in a current or upcoming auction through the App?

Once you have downloaded the app and logged into, or created, your account, scroll through the home screen and tap on the upcoming/current sale that interests you. The app will take you to a new screen where you can click the orange “Register to Bid” button.

Once you’ve tapped the “Register to Bid” button, complete the information fields until you reach the screen that asks you to agree to our Conditions of Sale, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy and that you are 18 years of age or older.

You are now registered to bid in the selected auction! Your bidder approval is under review, and you will be emailed once you have been approved to bid.

Note: For timed auctions, you’ll be able to place bids while you wait for approval, but they won’t go through until you’ve been approved to bid.

Note: For live sales, you can place absentee bids, but the live bidding window is not available until approximately 10 minutes before the live sale begins.

How do I register to bid in a current or upcoming auction on my computer?

We offer several ways to bid online. To get started, you can go to our website and click on the drop-down menu titled “Auctions,” and click on “Upcoming Auctions.”

From here, you’ll see a list a list of our next few upcoming auction dates, as well as a list of our online bidding options.

If you want to bid on our website, click on the “Clars Online Bidding” logo. (If you’d like to bid through either Liveauctioneers.com or Invaluable.com, click on one of their logos and follow the steps they provide to register for sales through them).

If you’re bidding through our website, once you click on our “Clars Online Bidding” logo, you can register for sales one of two ways. First, you can go to the “Auctions” drop-down menu and select the auction that you wish to register for, and click the “Register to Bid” button:

Or, you can simply scroll through the home page to select the auction you wish to register for:

Once you click “Register to Bid,” you will be taken to a screen where you can provide the necessary information to sign up for our sale, including entering your credit card information. Please note that we do not charge your credit card — this is just for verification purposes!

Do I have to put in my credit card information every time I want to register for an auction?

No, you do not need to enter your credit card information each time. When we ask you to enter your credit card information, it is just to make sure you are a real person and not a robot! You will have to register for each auction separately, but you won’t have to re-enter your credit card information. Please keep in mind that we do not automatically charge this card, so if you are the winner, you will still need to arrange payment with us. International credit cards are not accepted for any payments, but are accepted for identification when registering to bid online.

Why is the site not letting me register?

Most likely, if your registration is not going through, it is because you haven’t completed all of the required fields. All required fields are marked with an asterisk. This includes ticking the box that agrees to the Conditions of Sale, and letting us know that you are 18 years or older.

Do I have to register for each sale individually?

How can I search for items that I am interested in?

In the top right hand corner of your screen will be a little magnifying glass icon that will allow you to search for keywords.

How can I keep track of lots that I am interested in?

When you come across an item that you want to save on your “Watched Lot” list, hover over the item and click on the star icon next to the lot number. Once you click it, the star will change color and will appear on your “Watched Lots” page.

To access your list of watched lots, click the “Watched Lots” button up at the top of the home screen: